Google to offer flood alerts for India

Google will make public emergency alerts for floods available in India as part its efforts to make critical information more accessible around natural disasters.

“Users in India can now find ‘flood alerts’ along with ‘river level’ information for more than 170 areas in which the Central Water Commission (CWC) has active observation stations,” Google said in a statement on Tuesday.

These alerts are available on web search, Google Now Cards on the Google app, maps as well as Google Public Alerts homepage, it added.

The alerts will be created and shared using data provided by the CWC, Google said.

“Timely information is the first step in disaster preparedness and has the potential to save thousands of lives lost to natural disasters each year,” Google product manager Payal Patel said.

By making critical information more widely available to people, flood alerts will enable citizens across the country to make quicker and more informed decisions, she added.

In 2015, Google introduced ‘cyclone alerts’, which offers information with details about the hazard, including a map and expected timeline, as well as tips on how to stay safe.